Vincent Van Gogh Blossoming Almond Tree, Saint-Remy, c.1890

'Blossoming Almond Tree' is one of Vincent Van Gogh's best known paintings and is noteworthy in that both Van Gogh and his closest family held the work in high regard. This painting is one of a small handful that Van Gogh produced with a particular person in mind--in this case, his brother and sister-in-law's newborn baby. Van Gogh was deeply moved when Theo and Johanna chose to name the child Vincent and he always harboured a great deal of affection for the child. Van Gogh painted this to honour his namesake and it remains a tour-de-force, both the product of Vincent's fondness for his nephew as well as the Japanese art which he so greatly admired.